News24 | Getting Outdoors: Stony Point, one of only two land-based African penguin colonies in SA

Stony Point is in the coastal village of Bettys Bay, where one of two land-based African penguin colonies can be found.

For this week’s Pick of the Pack, I visited a place near Betty’s Bay in the Western Cape, home to one of only two land-based African penguin colonies in South Africa.

A place aptly named “Stony Point” hosts 680 breeding pairs and is 88km from Cape Town’s city centre. Expect this trip to take you one-and-a-half to two hours to drive – especially if you’re going to take in one of the most marvellous routes our country has to offer: Clarence Drive.

Scenic Clarence Drive was recently repaired after the violent storms and flooding of September 2022, which literally had part of the mountainside washed away.

Passing through Kogel Bay, on that long coastal road travelling south, you have ahead of you one of the most Nachtwacht-esque sights revealed to you. On some days this sight could be enough. You could turn around right here and just go home.

Passing the towns of Rooi Els and Pringle Bay, you will drive directly into what is considered the longest village in South Africa: the 13km-long Betty’s Bay. Take the first turn right towards the coast and follow the reasonably well-signed route to “Stony Point” – an old whaling station and the reason for Betty’s Bay’s existence.

Parking is limited and, especially off the paved area, a little bit too informal. “Rugged” is one way to describe it.

The views here, though, are all-encompassing and almost swallow you in. Do a 360-degree slow swirl and you are astounded by where you are on the planet. Distinct tourists’ chatter fills the air as they (it wasn’t too busy) wander past, the penguins braying and the waves lapping the coastline. It is very rocky, by the way. You will have to stay on the beaten and demarcated track.

Walk along the elevated formal boardwalk (small entrance fee of R45/R30) that takes you to what looks like the old stone lighthouse. Below you on either side are the man-made enclosures and structures that have become a refuge and home to this colony. Penguins usually live in burrows they have dug out themselves, but I guess the rocky ground made that task very difficult.

The penguins don’t seem plentiful. Almost sporadic at best. The facts are that the colony is under severe threat with numbers halving in the space of two years from 2023/2024. Halving? You have to be kidding me.

And this is again where it hit me. What a privilege to be here. Supporting conservation efforts while I get to hang with these very cool birds. My boys would stand and just stare as they watch the penguins. Some basking in the sun. Some going into and coming out of the water in dramatic style. Some domestic altercations that we probably should not have been privy to, played out loudly. And to think that these birds mate for life!

Walking along the coast, you get to see larger numbers of penguins and also other birds. Endangered oystercatchers mingling quite happily with the Egyptian geese. Just proof that, in South Africa, we can all make an effort to get along.

We were grateful for the benches dotted along the way. An outing to “spend time” with these penguins in their home requires you to stop, put away that phone and just immerse yourself. It is a noisy environment, I have to admit, but it’s nature’s soundtrack.

Come ready to answer questions from your kids. A quick Google education on some facts and details will make you a shoe-in for dad of the year. Adding a burger and an ice cream at the locally staffed and run restaurant afterwards wouldn’t hurt your stocks either. The milkshake options are highly recommended.

Very friendly and enthusiastic staff show you around the information centre. Expect typical South African hospitality.

Reach out beforehand if you have food preferences and allergies. The menu is limited.

Overall experience here, I would say, is relative and expectation-based. For me, I expected a strong environmental message supported with a little bit more formality and direction. I’m not saying throw a concrete slab everywhere. I’m asking for a facelift with purpose. If you’re asking money for a boardwalk, maintain the boardwalk. Show the visitors where their R45 goes.

The penguins, though, are the stars of the show and always deliver. We need well-managed places like these to fund conservation. Many marine-educated folks believe this colony could be extinct by 2035. I hope not.

This is an exceptional day out that delivers over and above – all because you made the effort to come visit this side of the Western Cape.

On the way out, make sure to get a pic inside that “viewfinder” square you get at most tourist sites in our country. The penguins, sadly, don’t know how it works yet, and rarely photo bomb.

I’ll be chatting to the mayor about this, among some other things.

- Riaan Manser is a pioneering international explorer with multiple world-firsts and has joined the team as the new outdoors editor of News24 Outdoors, driven by Ford.